Daughter of the Sea || HoO

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

If it wasn't for the horses both Tori and Piper would have died.

Jason and Percy charged each other, but Tempest and Blackjack balked long enough for the two girls to leap out of the way. 

Tori rolled to the edge of the road and looked back, dazed and horrified, as the boys crossed swords, gold against bronze. Sparks flew. Their blades blurred—strike and parry—and the pavement trembled. The first exchange took only a second, but Tori couldn't believe the speed of their sword fighting. The horses pulled away from each other—Tempest thundering in protest, Blackjack flapping his wings.

"Stop it!" Tori yelled.

For a moment, Jason heeded her voice. His golden eyes turned toward her, and Percy charged, slamming his blade into Jason. Thank the gods, Percy turned his sword—maybe on purpose, maybe accidentally—so the flat of it hit Jason's chest; but the impact was still enough to knock Jason off his mount.

Blackjack cantered away as Tempest reared in confusion. The spirit horse charged into the sunflowers and dissipated into vapor. Percy struggled to turn his pegasus around.

"Percy!" Tori yelled. "Jason's your friend. Drop your weapon!"

Percy's sword arm dipped. With Piper's help she might have been able to bring him under control, but unfortunately Jason got to his feet. Jason roared. A bolt of lightning arced out of the clear blue sky. It ricocheted off his gladius and blasted Percy off his horse.

Blackjack whinnied and fled into the wheat fields. Jason charged at Percy, who was now on his back, his clothes smoking from the lightning blast. For a horrible moment, Piper couldn't find her voice. Gaea seemed to be whispering to her: You must choose one. Why not let Jason kill him? 

"No!" Tori screamed. "Jason, stop!" 

He froze, his sword six inches from Percy's face. Jason turned, the gold light in his eyes flickering uncertainly. "I cannot stop. One must die."

Something about that voice...it wasn't Gaea. It wasn't Jason. Whoever it was spoke haltingly, as if English was its second language.

"Who are you?" Piper demanded.

Jason's mouth twisted in a gruesome smile. "We are the eidolons. We will live again."

"Eidolons... ?" Tori's mind raced. She'd studied all sorts of monsters at Camp Half-Blood, but that term wasn't familiar. "You're—you're some sort of ghost?" 

"He must die." Jason turned his attention back to Percy, but Percy had recovered more than either of them realized. He swept out his leg and knocked Jason off his feet. Jason's head hit the asphalt with a nauseating conk. Percy rose.

"Stop it!" Tori screamed again, but there was no charmspeak in her voice. She was to emotional, and came to the point where she was shouting in sheer desperation. "Piper help me!"

Percy raised Riptide over Jason's chest. Panic closed up Tori's throat. She wanted to stop Percy with Tidal, but she knew that wouldn't help and she didn't think she could take him. Whatever was controlling him had all of Percy's skill. Tori had sword fighting skills, but Percy had always a little better than her.

"Eidolon, stop."  Piper finally said, pouring all of her anger into her voice.

 Percy froze.

"Face me," Piper ordered.

The son of the sea god turned. His eyes were gold instead of green, his face pale and cruel, not at all like Percy's.